Amy Pieters remains in coma after December training crash
The Dutch rider lost consciousness when she crashed during a training ride with national team members in December.
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Amy Pieters remains in a coma but is “breathing independently” following a training crash in December, her SD Worx team has said.
Pieters lost consciousness in a fall while out on a training ride with members of the Dutch track team in Spain on December 23. No further details of the incident have been released.
She was transferred to a local hospital where she underwent surgery to alleviate pressure on her brain and placed in an artificial coma to aid her recovery. On January 6, she was transported to the Netherlands to continue her treatment.
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In an update Thursday, SD Worx said that the condition of the Madison world champion had been improving and she was no longer being kept in intensive care. However, it added that she remained in a coma and faced a long rehabilitation period.
“She has made it through a very serious brain injury, during which she underwent the first life-saving surgery, the acute critical phase of artificial coma in the Intensive Care Unit, and has come through it relatively well, according to the circumstances,” a statement from the team said.
“In terms of slow recovery, she has now been transferred from the Intensive Care Unit to an inpatient unit one month after the accident. This is a long period of uncertainty for any patient with very severe brain injury, during which recovery surgeries can cause changes in consciousness.
“Currently, some improvement can be seen in her consciousness. However, Amy Pieters is not awake. The [future] is still unpredictable. It is expected that after her hospitalization — if her condition in terms of physical health is stable — she will face a long rehabilitation period.”